Good Housekeeping Best Toy Awards 2010

For our third annual awards, the Good Housekeeping Research Institute staff searched through hundreds of toys for the most fun, safe, and kid-friendly. Bonus: Learn more about how we tested, and be sure to check out the toys that earned honorable mentions.

Good Housekeeping Best Toy Awards 2010

Good Housekeeping Best Toy Awards 2010

To find playthings worthy of our third annual awards, GHRI staff considered hundreds of new toys and board games — for their fun factor, of course, but also for skillbuilding and to spark imaginations. We then checked our list twice, narrowing the field to the most promising 75 and vetting those for quality and safety. Next, 98 kids, ages 4 to 16, played with every last one — and filled out over 750 questionnaires. Here, our 24 winners.

Screen Antics

Screen Antics

AGES 3-5

The Leapster Explorer from LeapFrog ($70, amazon.com; ages 4 ) has a touch screen and a stylus, so kids can turn eBook pages with the flick of a finger and write on the screen. Parents see what their child learns on a personalized Web page. Choose from 40 games ($25 each), and download free books and videos.